What I’m Up To Wednesday

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Hey y’all!
I’m still alive! It’s been awhile since I’ve had time to do anything but Sunday Social around here! Christmas time has definitely hit TVP, and things have been crazy busy the last few weeks. I have some posts planned with some stories about what’s been going on, but I thought I’d check in and share a little bit of what I’ve been up to lately!
Back in November, we had our annual Holiday Open House at TVP! We had an after-hours sale with cupcakes and a hot chocolate bar! We had a great time!
The week of Thanksgiving, TVP had a chalkboard contest between the three stores. At the Edmond store, we’ve been doing inspirational chalkboards for almost a year, and now that we have three stores, Erin decided we should have a little competition! We worked really hard on our board, and each of us contributed to the board in some way, and WE WON! 
Since I had to work Black Friday, I decided not to go home for Thanksgiving. I spent the morning at my church helping with Thanksgiving Day in the City, an event where my church cooks Thanksgiving meals for people in the community. After we finished the food, we had lunch together as a church family! I spent the afternoon and evening with Joyce, Wade, and the Littles, and we had Thanksgiving dinner at their house! I was sad to not be with my family, but it was great to spend the day with my second family!
Black Friday, TVP opened a couple of hours early and had a big sale! It was a crazy day, but we actually had fun! I’ve got such a great group of girls, and we really enjoy working together! Our prize for winning the chalkboard contest was delivered that day: an edible arrangements basket! 
To help myself calm down and destress, I’ve been doing a lot of evening snuggling with this guy…
…and eating a few of these. 
Last weekend, OKC got 4-5 inches of snow, and the city basically shut down! Today is the first day that the schools are back in session since Thursday. It’s been a cold, icy mess! 
I finally got my Christmas tree up on Sunday! I love having a tree with non-traditional Christmas colors! It’s pretty :) 
Hopefully I’ll be back around here in a day or two with more stories!
Have a great Wednesday!

The Sunday Social, Week 79

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Sunday Social

Hey y’all!

Wow, what a busy week it’s been around here! Between long work hours, a visit from my family, a big winter storm, and a giant earthquake, its been a little crazy!

Here are this week’s questions!

1. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
It’s just solid pink, nothing special, but I like it!

2. What do you keep beside your bed?
I have a table with magazines, books, my glasses, and…a lot of other stuff. It’s kind of a mess :)

3. What is your least favorite chore? 
I don’t like vacuuming. Haaaaaaate doing it.

4. If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be?
Let’s be honest, getting out of bed is the worst part of my day!

5. What do you do to vent anger?
I usually call my mom or one of my friends and talk it out. It always helps me to have someone to talk to that can calm me down. 

6. What is your favorite holiday of the year and why?
I really enjoy Thanksgiving. I haven’t been able to do our big family Thanksgiving in a couple of years because of work, but it’s definitely my favorite thing!

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

Next week’s questions

These will start our fun holiday questions!

1. What is your favorite Holiday Movies/TV Specials?

2. Do you do any volunteering during the holidays if so what? If not what would you do?
3. What is your favorite toy received as a child for the holidays?
4. What was your must have item in high school for the holidays? 
5. What do you do on Christmas Eve? If you are Jewish what does your family do for Hanukkah?

Have a great day!

The Sunday Social, Week 78

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Sunday Social

Hey y’all!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Can you believe it’s December already? Christmas is THIS MONTH! We’ll be getting into some fun holiday questions later in the month :) Today’s questions are all about favorite things! 

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip FOR SURE!

2. What is your favorite smell?
Let’s be honest. Fresh baked brownies smell like heaven.

3. What is your favorite TV commercial? (past or present) 
I’ve always loved the crazy Target lady commercials during the holidays!

4. What is your favorite day of the week? 
Um…I don’t really think I have a favorite day. Saturdays?

5. What is your favorite way to waste time?
Listening to music, checking up on twitter and instagram, reading blogs, and Pinterest!

6. What is your favorite article of clothing?
I have an amazing pair of yoga pants from Gap. They are the best thing ever! When I get home from work, I immediately change into them. Sooooo comfy! And no, I don’t do yoga :)

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!

Next week’s questions

1. What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
2. What do you keep beside your bed?
3. What is your least favorite chore? 
4. If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be?
5. What do you do to vent anger?

6. What is your favorite holiday of the year and why?

Have a wonderful day!

The Sunday Social, Week 77

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Sunday Social
Hey y’all!

For today’s Sunday Social, there are no specific questions. With Thanksgiving happening his week, we’d like everyone to share the things you are thankful for this year!

I’m thankful for a God who loves me, who takes care of me, who protects me, and who forgives me.

I’m thankful for an amazing family who loves me and supports me, no matter what. I could not do this life without them.

I’m thankful for Jessica, Neely, and Teddie, the best friends I could ever ask for. I love them more than I can put into words. No matter how long we go without seeing each other, we manage to pick up right where we left off. I always know I can count on them when I need a chat, a laugh, a shoulder to cry on, or a prayer.


I’m thankful for Joyce and her family and the way they’ve brought me in to their family. Their selflessness and servant hearts make me want to be better and do more for others. I’m honored to call them my second family.

I’m thankful for my sweet babies K, N, Sweet P, and Baby D! I love being Aunt Ashley to these guys!
I love these three soooooooo much!

I can’t wait to finally meet Baby D in a few weeks! He’s so precious!

I’m thankful for the Littles. These kiddos have stolen my heart, and I adore all five of them so much!
I love that Little Girl and Little Man were adopted this year, and that C’s adoption should be final soon! I also love that we still get to be a part of Little Miss and Little Bit’s lives too!

I’m thankful for my adorable little Jack!

He’s cute, he’s weird, he’s sweet, he’s wild, he’s…a lot of things, but he’s my guy and I love him!

I’m thankful for my TVP team, past and present!
Natalie, Tessa, Ashton, and Cathy are such a great group of girls. I can’t wait for Christmas break when I get to have Annie, Haley, and Sarah back for a few weeks, and we will forever miss Becky and Kendall. I love that we have become like a family.

I’m thankful for my manager Angela!

She’s such a wonderful support for me at work, and I wish we actually worked in the same place so I could see her every day! I’m thankful for her wisdom, her love for the Lord, and her friendship.

I’m thankful for Erin and the rest of the TVP team for allowing me to be a part of such a great company. I’m thankful to work for such great people who care about me and support me.

I’m thankful for women like Alli Worthington and Danielle Smith who inspire me and give such great advice, not only in the blogging world, but in life.


If I’m keeping it real, I’m thankful for Dr. Pepper and chocolate. Because we all know that I am.

I’m thankful for the sweet friends I’ve been able to spend time with this year, new babies that I have prayed for for so long, and all of the other blessings this year.

What are you thankful for?

Next week’s questions

These are all about fun favorite things!

1. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
2. What is your favorite smell?
3. What is your favorite TV commercial? (Past or present) 

4. What is your favorite day of the week? 
5. What is your favorite way to waste time?

6. What is your favorite article of clothing?

Have a great holiday week!

Weekend Update: Birthday Edition

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Hey y’all!
Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! 
We spent the weekend celebrating Little Girl, Jonna, and Joyce’s birthdays! Of course, we had to have another princess party :)
How cute is she? And how huge is that cake? :)

Rapunzel watched me eat. It was a little creepy.

#princessbesties

I had to have a Cinderella cupcake. She’s my favorite!

I love this sweet girl so much! Can’t imagine life without her!

Sweet Little Miss

Little Bit loooooooves cupcakes!

Mikayla and Jonna! I told them “act like you like each other” and this is what they gave me :)

Opening presents! She was so excited!

So much attitude in such a tiny little body…

Oh Joyce…she’s one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. Thankful God brought her and her family into my life!

Little Girl trying out her new skates! She had so much fun!

These silly faces just crack me up! She’s going to be the queen of Instagram selfies one of these days! 
I loved getting to see her birthday excitement. I don’t know how much birthdays were celebrated before she came into our lives, so we all love making her day really special. When she told me goodnight before I left their house, she hugged me and said “Thank you for my presents and for my birthday party. It was so fun!” I almost cried! At church yesterday morning, she hugged me and thanked me for her presents and her party again! I think she enjoyed it!

The Sunday Social, Week 76

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Sunday Social
Hey y’all!
Hope everyone is having a fabulous Sunday!
Today’s questions are all about 4s!

1. Name 4 jobs you’ve had in your life.
2 year old preschool teacher, adoption caseworker, foster care coordniator, and jewelry boutique manager

2. Name 4 movies you would watch over and over.
Miss Congeniality, Under the Tuscan Sun, Easy A, and Because I Said So!


3. Name 4 places you have lived.
My hometown, my college suites, a really terrible awful apartment, and my current cute apartment!

4. Name 4 of your favorite foods.
chocolate, chicken quesadillas, macaroni & cheese, and my momma’s chocolate cheesecake! Yummy!

5. Name 4 things you always carry with you.
My purse, my iPhone, my sunglasses, and my keys

6. Name 4 places you have been on vacation.
Disneyworld, Memphis, Nashville, and Chicago!

Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!
Next week’s questions

We want you to share with us the things you are most thankful for! As many as you’d like!
Have a great day!

Bloggy Boot Camp Dallas

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Hey y’all!
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
I spent the weekend in Dallas for Bloggy Boot Camp! Stephanie and I stayed with Neely, and we had a fabulous weekend together. I wanted to share a few fun pics from the conference.
We got our hair done at Pouf on Friday before the conference!
It is super cute, and next time you visit Dallas, you need to go get your hair done!

How cute are our mason jars of water?

Love my girls!

I LOVED my curls! Shoutout to the fabulous Macey who did my curls and Neely’s gorgeous braid! She was amazing!
The conference opened with audience questions about working with brands answered by David from LG, Allison Talamantez, and Danielle Smith.
The sessions were great! I spent the whole afternoon frantically writing notes, and I learned so much!
Saturday night, we met Amber, Caitrin, and Taylor for dinner! 
There are no words to describe how much I love this girl. It has been incredible to watch her blog grow, and I’m proud of everything she has accomplished.

Stephanie is just so sweet! I loved getting to spend the weekend with her.

Ahhh, my precious little Amber! I just love her so much!

So so happy Caitrin got to hang out with us! I hadn’t seen her in about a year, so it was great to get to catch up. She’s one of the sweetest girls I know!

We all wore Hazel and Olive clothes to dinner, so of course we had to take a picture :)
Saturday morning, we started a full day of conference sessions. 
Dr. Pepper and hot chocolate…#necessities

Tiffany Romero sat at our table for a couple of the sessions! It was hard to pay attention to the speakers with her sitting right there! She’s so pretty!

I had to document the dessert. Lemon pie was the perfect ending to lunch.

The conference closed with tips on how to power down from Tiffany Romero and Danielle Smith.

I loved getting a few minutes to chat with Danielle after the sessions were over. After meeting her at Blissdom 2012, she has really become a person I admire. She’s a pretty amazing person and gave a pretty fantastic pep talk :) Thanks so much Danielle!
Saturday evening, a group of us went to dinner at Mi Cocina! There’s nothing like ending a great weekend with some yummy Mexican food! 
I LOVED getting to meet Ricci! She’s super sweet!

Fabulous dinner with fabulous ladies!
Stephanie, Ricci, Kim, Rebekah, Neely, and me!
It was such a great weekend! In addition to hanging out with wonderful friends, I gained a lot of new, very valuable information. I have pages and pages of notes, and I’m already making plans for some changes that I want to make to this little blog. I feel very refreshed, and I have a renewed motivation. I can’t wait to see where this takes me!

Building a Dream Home

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*This product was sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.*
Hey y’all!
When my parents got married, they started talking about the dream home they wanted to have someday. They made plans for what they wanted it to look like, where they wanted it to be, and when I was in college, they finally found the perfect piece of land to start building their home.
A little over two years ago, they started working on this dream home; a beautiful log house on 40 acres of land outside of town. They have had a little bit of professional help, but they are doing a large part of the work themselves. It has been a long process, but in a few months, it will finally be ready for them to move in!
Isn’t it beautiful? I can’t wait to see it when all of the landscaping is finished!
When Easy Canvas Prints contacted me to review an 8×10 canvas print, I decided to have something special made for Mom and Dad. Most of the pictures around our house now are pictures of my brother and me or of the whole family, so I wanted them to have something special for just the two of them. I found a great picture that I knew would be perfect to hang in their new home.
The canvas print turned out beautiful! The colors look great, and the picture is very clear. I was also very impressed with how quickly it was completed and sent to me! I received it almost a week earlier than the date I was given, so it was a nice surprise to get it so fast.
Easy Canvas Prints made it very easy to create this beautiful gift! There are many different options for sizes, borders, and color effects. You can even have your photo retouched! The website was very easy to navigate. One thing I loved most was that it would tell me if the quality of the picture was high enough to be made into a canvas to avoid having a blurry or low-quality image. 
Easy Canvas Prints also has affiliate sites BuildASign.com and Allied Shirts where you can create your own signs and t-shirts.
I really enjoyed my experience with Easy Canvas Prints. Through their simple design process and quick service, I was able to create this special gift. Although I wasn’t able to keep it a secret (it’s too pretty not to share!), I can’t wait until I can give it to Mom and Dad in person! I know they will love it as much as I do!

The Sunday Social, Week 75

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Sunday Social

Hey y’all!

I am hanging out in Dallas with Neely and Stephanie! We’ve been at Bloggy Boot Camp this weekend, and we have having so much fun!

Today’s questions are all about Thanksgiving!

1. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
There’s no way I could pick just one! My family has a big Thanksgiving every year, and we always have lots of fun!

2. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?
The desserts, duh! :) 

Chocolate pecan pie, brownies, cookies…nothing better!

3. What is a Thanksgiving tradition you and your family have?
Every year, we all meet at my great-grandparents’ house and spend as much of the week there as possible. The last few years, it has been the only time we’ve gotten together during the year, and we have a fantastic time together!

4. Show us a favorite Thanksgiving picture(or 5) from years past.
The fam

Cousins

Every year Colby grabs Dalton and gives him a major wedgie!

5. What are you most looking forward to about this Thanksgiving?
Not sure that I’m going to get to go home this year, so I’m definitely looking forward to a day off work!
Your turn! Answer the questions, grab our button, and link up with Neely and me!
Next week’s questions

These are all about 4s!
1. Name 4 jobs you’ve had in your life.
2. Name 4 movies you would watch over and over.
3. Name 4 places you have lived.
4. Name 4 of your favorite foods.
5. Name 4 things you always carry with you.
6. Name 4 places you have been on vacation.

Have a great Sunday, y’all!

CMA Awards Predictions

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Hey y’all!
It’s CMA Day!
The CMAs are my favorite of the country music award shows, and I’m so excited for the show tonight! Like always, I have my favorites that I’m rooting for, and in keeping with my tradition, I’m going to share who I’m rooting for and who I think will win in some of my favorite categories!
Entertainer of the Year
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Taylor Swift
Who I’m Rooting For: Blake Shelton
Who Will Win: George Strait (He’s retiring from touring, and he deserves it!)

Album of the Year
Based on a True Story-Blake Shelton
Blown Away-Carrie Underwood
Red-Taylor Swift
Same Trailer, Different Park-Kacey Musgraves
Tornado-Little Big Town
Who I’m Rooting For: Blown Away or Tornado
Who Will Win: Red

Female Vocalist of the Year
Carrie Underwood
Kacey Musgraves
Kelly Clarkson
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Who I’m Rooting For: Carrie Underwood
Who Will Win: Carrie Underwood (It’s about stinkin’ time!)

Male Vocalist of the Year
Blake Shelton
Eric Church
Jason Aldean
Keith Urban
Luke Bryan
Who I’m Rooting For: Blake Shelton
Who Will Win: Blake Shelton (my boy!)

Vocal Group of the Year
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
Who I’m Rooting For: Little Big Town
Who Will Win: Little Big Town (This has been their year!)

New Artist of the Year
Brett Eldredge
Florida Georgia Line
Kacey Musgraves
Kip Moore
Lee Brice
Who I’m Rooting For: Kacey Musgraves
Who Will Win: Florida Georgia Line
I’m going to miss the beginning of the show because I’m teaching bible class, but I’ll be watching the last half and sharing my thoughts on twitter if you want to join me!
Who will be watching the show with me? Who are you rooting for?